A coroner has called for new laws to force landlords to fit smoke alarms inside flats.

Penelope Schofield, the coroner for West Sussex, is to write to the Government and landlords' associations demanding the change.

The move follows the death of Mary Moss who died weeks after she was badly burned in a blaze at her Lancing flat last August.

Ms Schofield said current regulations mean smoke detectors wired into the mains only need to be fitted in communal areas of buildings used as flats. It is up to individual tenants to fit and maintain smoke detectors inside their homes, an inquest at Worthing was told.

Mrs Moss, 64, a heavy drinker and smoker, had been repeatedly warned by her firefighter son Mark to be more careful about using matches.

She had a battery-powered smoke detector fitted inside her flat but the battery had been removed. It is believed she dropped a match onto the floor as she lay on a sofa bed in the lounge at her home at St Davids Gate, Penstone Park, on August 11.

It set fire to flooring and spread to the sofa but Mrs Moss did not realise what was happening until it was too late. Schoolboy Luke McManus, ten, saved firecrews valuable time by giving them directions as they searched for the flat.

Ms Schofield said Mrs Moss's death could have been avoided if a wired-in smoke detector had made her or others nearby aware of the danger.

Other elderly residents in the block tried to get into her flat but were beaten back by thick smoke. Mrs Moss died from the effects of severe burns at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. Cherry Ann Sen, whose company, Fern Estates, manages the flats, welcomed the coroner's call for a change in the law.

She said: “I am totally in agreement with what she said. It should be done.”

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Tim Eady, a fire investigator with West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS), said: “Installing and maintaining smoke alarms is one of the most important things a landlord can do to protect their tenants and property from the devastating effects of fire.

“Working smoke alarms save lives and gives crucial early warning which can so often make all the difference.” Landlords and tenants who want fire safety advice should call WSFRS on 01243 642879.